Russian troops capture rescuer involved in evacuation

Iryna Balachuk – Sunday, 13 March 2022, 10:43

Russian troops have illegally detained State Emergency Service (SES) worker Oleksiy Danchenko who was taking part in the evacuation of the residents of Hostomel in the Kyiv region. They have been holding him captive for three days now.

Source: Iryna Vereschuk, Minister for the Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories, in a video address on 13 March

According to Vereschuk: "I am stressing, again and again, that the Russian Federation has to release Oleksiy Danchenko, an SES worker who was accompanying a convoy along the agreed humanitarian route in the town of Bilohorodka. He is currently being held on the territory of the glass factory in Hostomel. We demand that Danchenko be released. We agreed to this corridor, and he was doing his job."

Details: On 12 March, Vereschuk reiterated that Danchenko was on the list of people taking part in the evacuation. The list was agreed by both sides.

She also underscored that the "explanation" offered by the Russian side "that he was talking on his phone, is unacceptable."

The Minister added that Ukraine will do everything to free Danchenko.